The Warmth of a Cold Heart
by SecretPenName
Summary: Eren and Levi are left in the room alone after hours of being subjected to Hanji's ramblings. Will their unspoken love be left for the silence to contain or will something spark Levi's heart back from the cold that constantly takes over?


First off, I'd like to begin with, "Hi, I'm (_INSERT REAL NAME HERE_), but you can call me Heichou like a certain good friend of mine does... constantly. Welcome to my fanfiction. Duh.

A quick premise: This is actually a compilation of texts from myself and another friend whom dearly loves LeviXEren; and since I'm their Heichou, I figured I'd make my little subordinate happy. I won't be telling you whom wrote which part, and I won't be including our in-between moments of put awkwardness (as awkward as they were).

It all began with a single phrase in a relatively unknown biology class...

Heichou: "Well that sounds suspicious... 'Come research with me.'"  
Eren: "Lol that sounds like an opening to a bad fanfiction."

* * *

"Come research with me," said Hanji to the sleep Eren after hours of reciting Titan stories and theories. Eren blinked his eyes and began to lift his head from his arms on the table.

"Research?"

"Dafuq is going on here?" Levi stormed in, watching his young subordinate be subjected to such a risque situation. "You know you don't have to listen to this shit, right?" He asked, sitting down on the opposite side of the table; his presence alone mentally beating the young one. Eren straightened up immediately upon looking at his commander. Hanji pushed up her glasses, smirking.

"Aw, Levi. Don't be jealous. I'm just talking to little Eren." She then began to pat Eren's head slowly, looking directly at Levi. That's when the foot tapping began. A slow, melodic rhythm of his discontent. The eyes that burned through Hanji made her stop for a second. The tapping continued. Oh, how we wanted to say something. To claim, to protect, to steal. Outside, he was clearly the least bit ticked off; inside, he seethed. The sound of Eren sighing broke apart his thoughts. He looked over to see his subordinate sitting quietly at the other end of the table. Eren looked up at Levi for a second and then turned his eyes back to the table.

"Do you have something to say?" Hanji looked between them, analyzing their actions. She knew the truth from both sides of the argument, but only Levi would do anything against her shouting it out to the entire world- minus Bean and Sawney. At least she had gotten to tell them that before their brutal demise. "Either of you?"

Eren clenched his fists in frustration, but held his tongue. He knew better then to speak against Levi. Hanji took her hand off of Eren's head and clasped her hands together. "I guess not," she replied with a chuckle as she walked out of the room closing the door behind her.

"Shitty glasses…" Levi fumed under hushed breath. Of course she had to be the one to figure out his feelings for Eren. Funny enough, he could silence her as easily as Eren, but it didn't matter. She flaunted it regardless. Although, the more he thought about it, the more he didn't want to silence Eren. He was loud and arrogant, yes, but so was he. His recklessness got him into a lot of shit, which made Levi question whether his love would be home from the next mission, but he couldn't bring himself to express it in the present for fear of losing it in the future.

Eren looked back up at his commander, awkwardly. He wasn't sure if he should leave now that Hanji was gone. He began to slowly rise up from his seat. "Well…um…if that's all I was needed for, then I guess I'll go." He stood tall, saluted with a smile, and began to make a bee-line towards the door.

"Eren, wait." There was a long paused between statements; Levi's formulation processes gone seeing the faint hint of red on Eren's cheeks. "Do you remember what I asked you after the trial?" His heart beat became slow. "Do you hate me? You know, you can always change your answer and leaved the Corps. Im sure we have enough evidence against you to make you 'disappear' and let you search for the answers in your father's basement."

At hearing the words of his father's basement, Eren clutched the key the hung over his heart. He wanted more than anything to discover what was down there; what his father wanted him to know. Eren turned his back to the door looking at Levi. His bright eyes stared directly into his as he said, "Yes, Heichou. I remember what you said." He smiled softly, melting the older man's heart. "Thank you, but…my place is here."

Levi's heart thrummed in his ears. Strange, seeing as he wasn't normally one to react in such an Eren-esque way to situations such as these. He wanted nothing more than to approach the boy, to kiss and do other things with him right then and there, in full view of the open window. Alternatively, he simply took a stand and crossed his arms tightly over his beating heart. "Are you sure?" He switched his weight to the other foot, "I…I mean we wouldn't want anything to happen to you. You're Humanity's Hope."

Eren slightly covered his mouth to prevent a chuckle from escaping his lips. He has never seen Levi stumble over his words. He cleared his throat and smiled with amusement. "Yeah, I'm sure, Levi. Humanity's hope should always be with humanity's strongest, right?"

Eren's wide and innocent eyes looked over at his commander who stared back in silence. "You said my name so informally." _Why did I say something to stupid and cliché?_ he mentally smacked himself in the head. Idiot. His stare towards Eren became soft, thinking about what he had just said. "Humanity's hope with Humanity's strongest, huh?" Well, it wasn't a confession, but it still made his heart flutter.

"Of course you meant the Survey's contract to keep you here, right? I take you down if you screw up."

Eren saluted. "Yes, of course, Heichou." There was a long pause. As Eren relaxed into his regular posture he noticed that Levi's eyes seemed different than usual. Not hardened and cold, but soft. Eren took a step towards Levi, but was careful not to cross any boundaries. "Are you alright, sir?"

"I…I…" Levi stumbled to find the words he was grasping for. "I'm fine," is what he settled for, internally slapping himself in the face this time. His heart became cold again, the flame called Eren having extinguished his hopeful wishes. "It's not me everyone's worried about. It's your unreliability that's got everyone worked up." His heart sunk further, the coldness in his eyes returning. "Disciplinary actions will be present if…" _Don't do this_… "you don't comply with the rules..." _Please, don't_, "and I will kill you for disobeying as stated in said agreement." _He'll never see your feelings if you be this way._

Eren froze where he stood. He couldn't comprehend it. What happened to that soft look he found himself so memorized by? The warmth Eren felt escaped his body as he too, felt cold. He clenched his fists at his sides and spoke firmly. "I know. I get it. One wrong move and I'm dead, right? If you hadn't made that clear enough, sir, don't worry. I understand it now." He closed his eyes to prevent the tears from welling up. _I respected you_, he thought. _So much so, that I wanted to be just like you. Since I was a kid, I dreamed of being here and to learn from you. But all you can be is-._ Eren turned to face the door, head hung low, his body shaking of mixed feelings of anger and sadness. His thoughts continued. _Why do you have to be like this when I like you so?_ His eyes snapped open, realizing what he had just thought off. _I like…Levi?_

"I believe I made that crystal clear." Levi reached a hand out and swiped the accumulating dust off the table quietly as a defensive strategy. He wanted to spill everything now, to proclaim Eren to be his to the entire titan-ridden world; to show his love he felt inside. How could he, this cruel exterior of a man, show such love to someone so carefree? "Eren, if it makes any difference…I don't…hate you."

He watched Eren's back, hopeful. Pleading with all the internal will he could muster, he prayed to whatever bloody-handed deity had put them in this messed up world, that Eren should turn. Either that, or he would run before he could hurt him again.

Eren could feel his breath shake. _What the hell is wrong with me? _he thought as he put his hand over his heart. Part of him was overjoyed that, at least, Levi did not hate him. The other part was irritated at how Levi seemed to toy with his emotions. He wasn't sure what to believe. With a sigh, Eren turned back to face Levi once again. He brought his hand up to his face to wipe away any traces of tears quickly before his commander could see them. He tried to stand up straight and give his usual smile but it faltered completely.

"You were…crying?" Levi couldn't help but see the redness of Eren's face, the faint indication of a faux smile, and the moment of hurt that came in its wake. "Eren…" He reached a hand out to touch him, but retreated as Eren pressed himself against the wall in fear. "Did you think I was going to hurt you?"

Eren blinked. "W-well kind of." He held his body with his arms as his mind ran back to the court room incident. "But…you said you had to do it. To make it seem like you've got me under control, right?" Eren said as he looked at Levi.

Levi slammed a hand into the wall beside Eren's head with such a force that the pictures began to rattle around them. "You're a fool, Eren."

He quickly locked Erens lips around his, forcing all the pent up emotion he could into the action, sending them to the boy above him. _Stupid height difference_, he cursed in his head. He then pulled back, his face inches away from the younger one. _What am I doing? We're both guys- he's UNDERAGE for crying out loud!_

"Uh…I…uh…eh?" Eren tried to speak but simply couldn't. His cheeks were painted bright red as he looked downwards to his very forward commander. He wasn't sure if he should say something, or grab Levi and give him more of what he dished out. Eren tilted his head in confusion.

Levi's tongue escaped his lips for a second, savoring the taste of Eren's before stepping back in shock. "I'm sorry. I don't… I don't know why I did that." His eyes went wide and his head tilted downward so he couldn't see the receiver of his latest mistake. His hand wavered around his cravat that had been shifted out of place during their…exchange.

Eren stared at a flustered Levi. Heichou had…had kissed him. As the thought ran through his mind, a smile soon played across his face. He stood up confidently and rested his hand upon Levi's head and began to rub it back and forth. He then said quietly, closing in towards Levi's ear, "You're so cute, Levi-Heichou."

Before Levi could respond, Eren took a nip at his ear and then smiled triumphantly.

"Eh?" Levi smirked, enjoying this new daring Eren before him. "Oh, you're going to regret this." He grabbed the collar of his subordinate's coat and dragged him close to him, trailing kisses and marks up his neck to the hollow section under Eren's ear. Under the fabric, he felt Eren's heart beat wildly as he pushed himself closer to the warmth of Eren's body to soothe his cold heart. Levi moved back, admiring his work.

"I think they suit you." He said, straightening his cravat with a small chuckle. "And everyone else will get to think so, too." He noted, gesturing the marks peering over the collar of Eren's coat.

Eren looked down trying to see the newly appeared marks on his skin. He blinked for a second and then soon realized what the aftermath might be if his fellow squad members saw them.

"Eh!? Heichou!" Eren squeaked as he tempted to pull the collar high enough over the marks. His face was red with embarrassment was fully turn towards his commander with a little pout.

"Don't cover them. It'll let them know who you belong to." Levi smiled, feeling Eren's breath hitch as he leaned in closer.

"W-who I belong to?...what? Wait a minute! Jeez, I don't get this."Eren scratched his head and sighed loudly. He then looked shyly at Levi. "So…does this mean you like me?" he asked while fiddling with his fingers. "Or…are we dating? Or is this just a fling? Or maybe it's hormonal?!" Eren nodded to himself in sudden realization.

"Hormonal?" Levi laughed. "I doubt it's still hormones at my age." Levi curled his fingers into the ones Eren was currently playing with. The closeness of Eren made him feel giddy with happiness. His cold heart disintegrated by this estranged feeling of love that he was unaccustomed to being returned. "I do love you, Eren."_ So much, it hurts._

Eren shuffled his feet. A sweet and flustered feeling overcame him as he listened to Levi's words. Unable to keep himself from smiling and reddening his cheeks, he flashed a sincere and gentle smile.

"I…I love you, Levi." He then quickly regained himself and said quickly, "I mean, Heichou!"


End file.
